Friday of the First Week of Lent
March 14, 2014


Prayer:

Grant that your faithful, O Lord, we pray, may be so conformed to the paschal observances, that the bodily discipline now solemnly begun may bear fruit in the souls of all.

Scripture:

Rid yourselves of all your sins and make a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 18).

Meditations on the Way of the Cross:

Way of the Cross: Click to listen

Question of the Day:

Are all the laws of the Church found in the Code of Canon Law?

The Code of Canon Law promulgated for the Latin Church on January 25, 1983 is only one part of the whole collection of law for the universal Church. In addition to the 1983 Code, the 21 autonomous churches in union with Rome also have a Code. As early as 1929, work on a code common to all these churches began. However, it was not until October 18, 1990 that Pope John Paul II issued the Apostolic Constitution Sacri Canones, promulgating the Codex canonum Ecclesiarum orientalium — The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches . This is divided into 30 titles, with a total of 1546 canons, dealing with matters such as the rights and obligations of the Christian Faithful; authority in the Churches; the Teaching Office of the Church; Divine Worship; Temporal Goods of the Church; Procedural Law, and Penalties. Each one of the autonomous churches develops its own particular law.

In addition to the two Codes of Canon Law, another source of law in the Church is to be found in the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus. Issued on June 28, 1988 by Pope John Paul II, this Constitution spells out the law pertaining to the various departments of the Roman Curia such as the Secretary of State, the nine Vatican Congregations, the three Tribunals, the 12 Pontifical Councils and a variety of other offices. These three laws constitute the body of Church law.

Although the above-mentioned make up the main body of Church law, there are many other laws which govern specific matters. These deal with issues such the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of the Pope; the procedures to be followed for the canonization of the saints, and, the spiritual care for military people. In addition, particular law for individual countries has been promulgated by the Bishops Conferences on a wide variety of matters. Here in Canada, the Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops has decreed on such matters as diocesan consultors, the term of office for pastors, the catechumenate, the minimum age for the lawful celebration of marriage in the Church, the celebration of Holy Days of Obligation, the days of fast and abstinence, just to name a few.